W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Celebrating 110 years in West Orange
Girls Club alumna returns to lead program. PAGE 14
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 84, NO. 4
YOUR TOWN BECOME A NATURE DOCENT
FOR HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE SENIORS Seniors at Dr. Phillips, Olympia and West Orange high schools; Windermere Preparatory; Bishop Moore; Lake Highland; and qualified home-school students who are enrolled in a science class are eligible for a $750 Edwin and Paula Brackney Environmental Scholarship. March 13 is the deadline to submit the application plus a reference from a science teacher, transcript, 500-word essay and an explanation of why the applicant deserves the scholarship. Completed application items should be mailed to BCCA, c/o Cogswell, Attn: Brackney Scholarship, 10553 Down Lakeview Circle, Windermere, FL 34786; or emailed to LCogswell55@gmail.com. Florida college students majoring in environmental studies or environmental engineering who have completed their junior year can apply for a $2,000 scholarship. Deadline to turn in applications is April 3, and the submission must include one reference, transcript, 500-word essay, a statement of environmental ethics and why the applicant deserves the scholarship. Submissions can be sent to BCCA College Scholarship, P.O. Box 405, Windermere, FL 34785 or emailed to info@ butlerchainconservation.org.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017
Historic hotel turns
90
Do you love the outdoors, enjoy meeting new people and have a few hours a week to volunteer? Oakland Nature Preserve is looking for adults interested in learning about the history, wildlife, plants and restoration efforts at ONP to volunteer at the preserve to greet visitors, help answer questions and lead an occasional tour. ONP also offers workdays every Monday and Saturday. For details, visit OaklandNaturePreserve. org/Guide or email Outreach@OaklandNaturePreserve.org. Interested individuals can register online at OaklandNaturePreserve.org. The preserve is at 747 Machete Trail in Oakland.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS
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FORMER HOTEL MANAGER VISITS EDGEWATER
The landmark Edgewater Hotel in downtown Winter Garden has been restored to its 1927 glory and again serves as a destination bed-and-breakfast. AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR
Ninety years ago this week, the three-story Edgewater Hotel opened its doors to accommodate fishermen who were coming to Winter Garden from all over the country to throw their lines into the famous Lake Apopka and snag a bass. Room rentals were about $2. On the first floor, the Evergreen Restaurant served traditional Southern meals — 25 cents for breakfast and up to $1.50 for a special dinner. Construction actually began in 1924, and plans called for a four-story building, but the land bust of the mid-1920s brought the project to a halt after the first floor shell was completed.
In 1925, Jerry Chicone Sr. found some investors to finish the building with three stories. It was completed with six private guest rooms, 23 two-room suites and a sitting room overlooking downtown. The Edgewater Hotel opened Jan. 26, 1927, with Ralph Hartman as manager. It boasted a dining room, dessert room, barbershop, beauty parlor, telegraph office and drug store. Modern conveniences of the time included a manually operated Otis elevator, telephones in each room with a switchboard operator downstairs, individual room temperature monitoring, up-to-date plumbing and fire sprinklers.
SEE DICKERSON PAGE 10
SEE EDGEWATER PAGE 10
Ocoee commissioners welcome relocated charter school Montessori of Winter Garden Charter School is changing its name to Innovation Montessori Ocoee and moving to North Lakewood Avenue after receiving unanimous approval from Ocoee commissioners Jan. 17.
In 1948, Gordon Dickerson drove from Texas to Winter Garden to assume management duties for the Edgewater Hotel. Dickerson had served three years in the military and been promoted to staff sergeant when he was assigned to a camp that received German prisoners of war during World War II. He moved to Texas following the war. He had received a letter from his cousin that the owner of the Edgewater, Dr. Clinton H. Whitehurst, was looking for someone to manage the hotel.
ARTS & CULTURE
GABBY BAQUERO STAFF WRITER
During the Jan. 17 Ocoee commission meeting, city leaders unanimously approved the final reading for what will be a prekindergarten-to-eighth-grade charter school called Innovation Montessori Ocoee. The future home for the school, which has a capacity of 800 students and 96 SEE MONTESSORI PAGE 4
SoBo’s Annual Watercolor Exibition
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